Sunday, March 28, 2010

What We're Watching on TV

Here are some of the things that we've been watching recently on TV.

The Big Bang Theory: What to say? Certainly the smartest comedy on TV. If you're a fan, geek, or nerd (or if you know & love fans, geeks, or nerds), you must watch this show. And if you don't fall into one of those categories, what are you doing reading our blog? The most recent episode, "The Pants Alternative," was hilarious. High point: Sheldon singing Tom Lehrer's Elements Song.

The Cleveland Show: Of the three shows in the Family Guy universe, this one is the weakest. It has its moments, and even at its worst it's a lot better than reality shows or (shudder) the evening news.

Family Guy: We don't care if it's written by manatees, it's a great show. Edgier and crazier than The Simpsons, not as tasteless as South Park, Family Guy has its ups and downs...but we wouldn't miss it.

FlashForward: Based on a Robert Sawyer book, this is one of several Lost wannabes that have sprung up lately. Unlike V, FlahForward has avoided too much Battlestar Galactica influence. It's nowhere near as compelling as Lost, and none of the characters have really grabbed us, but it's still worth watching.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: So far, this retelling of Fullmetal Alchemist seems pretty pointless. We understand that this time around they're following the manga much more closely than the original series did, so apparently things will be diverging from the original in some pretty major ways. So we're having faith and staying tuned.

In the Life: The monthly GLBT nonfiction show. Always worth watching.

Legend of the Seeker: We've never read the books, but boy is this a good show. The plots are sophisticated, the magic system is fresh and interesting, it looks great, and the acting is very fine. Each episode is reasonably self-contained, yet there's a definite larger story that progresses. If you're not watching Legend of the Seeker, you should be. The most recent episode, "Creator," makes a nice jumping-on point because it includes a lot of flashbacks that tell the story so far.

Lost: The best drama on TV today, bar none. I don't think we can say anything about Lost that others haven't already said. A long time ago we gave up trying to second-guess or figure it out: we decided to just go along for the ride. And what a great ride it is! Lost is destined to be a classic.

The Simpsons: Well into the 21st season, and it remains one of the funniest shows out there. The Simpsons is a cultural phenomenon; miss it at your peril.

Sons of Tucson: Didn't expect much from this one. It's by some of the folks who made Malcolm in the Middle, though, and it definitely has the sheer craziness that made Malcolm great. Usually it takes a while for new shows to settle in, but the second episode ("The Break-in") was really fun and zany. This looks like a worthy successor to Malcolm.

South Park: The fourteenth season is off to a bit of a rocky start. Still, for finger-on-the-pulse satire, there's nothing better on TV. South Park isn't for everybody (in fact, the show continues to carry a warning that it "should not be viewed by anyone"), especially people who are likely to get offended by...well, offensive language and situations. We're tempted to talk about the deeper meaning of the show, but the most recent episode ("The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs") pretty much ruined the fun of finding deeper meanings.

Space Ghost: The original 1966-68 Hanna-Barbera cartoon, not the weird Cartoon Network talk show parody. Boomerang has started showing Space Ghost, along with Dino-Boy. This was one of Don's favorite cartoons when he was a kid, and he's happy to see that it holds up about as well as other Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the period. It's no Jonny Quest, but it does have a super-powered hero, a cute boy (Jace), a monkey wearing clothes, and a kewl spaceship.

Star Wars: Clone Wars: Fun show. It's a kid's show, so there's some simplicity of plot and if you think too much about it, some things don't make sense. However, the show has the Star Wars look & feel down pat. There's action, humor, and good characterization. The computer-generated Anakin Skywalker is two dozen times as expressive as the real Hayden Christensen. The most recent episode, "Cat and Mouse," had two additional things going for it: A Republic Admiral who looked like John Cleese, and Bail Organa's holographic appeal: "Help us, General Kenobi. You're our only hope."

What We're Waiting For:

Some shows have been on hiatus, but will be starting up again soon. We're eagerly awaiting new episodes of Doctor Who, Nova, and Smallville.

What We're Not Waiting For:

Some other shows are coming back and we couldn't care less. The most notable are Stargate: Universe and V, both of which are way too influenced by the awful Battlestar Galactica.

What We're Avoiding:

Oh, my. What an enormous list. Reality shows, network and local news, sports on TV, most sitcoms, most programming on Syfy, etc. Reruns of King of the Hill still make us run screaming. We live in constant existential dread that we may accidentally see some of Caprica.

1 comment:

Watch "Modern Family" and try it out. I can't get enough of it. My new favorite comedy even over BBT. The characters are a bit of a caricature, but they still have some fun and in the end, some good values are shown.

Meerkat Meade

Meerkat Meade is a large, old, eccentric house and gardens on Camp Meade Road in suburban Baltimore.

Meerkat Meade is the home of costumer/collector Thomas G. Atkinson and writer Don Sakers. It houses an extensive print library and video collection, as well as The Star Toys Museum: a stupendous collection of Star Wars, Star Trek, and other science fiction toys and memorabilia.

Meerkat Meade exists in order to foster the enjoyment and appreciation of science fiction and fantasy artforms; to promote the admiration of the splendid species Mesocricetus auratus; and to serve as the nucleus of a creative community producing quality work in the sf/fantasy fields.

Meerkat Meade draws its name from Meerkat, the mascot and symbol of the literary coterie known as the Cedar Grove Movement, and from Meade, an archaic form of the word "meadow."